India’s ‘cockroach’ movement seeks to restore a culture of accountability

The Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), a youth movement founded by Abhijeet Dipke, is demanding government accountability, better jobs and education, and free and fair elections in India. Emerging from online political satire, it mobilised thousands of young people in May to protest exam paper leaks, unemployment and the high cost of living; the education minister resigned weeks later. The movement is now calling for the chief election commissioner to resign, accusing the electoral commission of manipulating voter lists in favour of Narendra Modi’s party, an allegation the commission denies. Several CJP leaders have been arrested, but Dipke says the movement will not be shaken.